"My grandmother was a seamstress for traditional Japanese kimono, so I guess I had a good environment to get into fashion," noted Nozomi Sakuma, the owner and designer of babywear, childrenswear and womenswear label, Tiny Dancer.
Growing up in Chiba, Japan, Sakuma was given a sewing machine to play with. This led her to embroider characters on her schoolbag and create her own clothing when she was just ten years old.
"I still remember my teacher's surprised face when I told her I made my own clothes. It was a bit embarrassing, but I felt so proud of myself."
During high school, Sakuma was determined to find her own personal style, which saw her venturing into vintage clothing. After she graduated, she worked in a U.S vintage store for a year, before becoming a buyer for the business.
Sakuma was also part of the Tokyo Fashion Week directors team, which enabled her to gain important connections within the fashion industry and enrich her knowledge.
When she turned 30, she felt that she had accomplished everything she wanted to do in Japan. After moving to New Zealand and having her first child, Sakuma was compelled to create her own fashion label as she struggled to find clothing that suited her daughter.
Using locally-sourced 100 percent linen fabric, Sakuma begin designing and making her daughter's clothing.
"I received so many compliments from strangers at the shop, park and just when I walked around. I soon realised that there are people like me who are also looking for fashionable kids clothing," added Sakuma.
However, her experience of motherhood also made Sakuma realise the lack of clothing options for mothers.
"It's kind of strange... why do people suddenly change styles after having a baby? I decided I wanted to create womenswear that was fashionable and not catered for mummy tastes."
All of Tiny Dancer's clothing is constructed from natural fibres and deadstock fabric to minimise waste. Her made-to-order garments are designed to help reduce the environmental impact of the fashion industry.
Sakuma seeks inspiration for her designs from architecture, interior design, gardens, music, movies and old pictures.
For example, her label's name is a reference to Elton John's hit single, a pair of checkered pants she released two years ago was inspired by traditional Victorian architecture and her previous collection was an ode to her home garden.
A proud moment for Sakuma was seeing some of her favourite designers purchasing clothing from her label for their children. She hopes that she can continue producing high quality clothing that she would like to wear, or dress her children in.
Her best advice for anyone looking to start their own fashion label is to have faith in themselves and trust their instincts.
"I used to think that it would be better to follow popular demand to make best-selling products. But when I did, I didn't sell much. Demand actually increased when I released clothing that I truly wanted to wear and couldn't find anywhere else."
